Ernest Mandel Study Centre

Ernest Mandel, professor at the Free University of Brussels, author of major works in economics such as Late Capitalism, and first chairperson of the IIRE, died in July 1995. In 1996 the Ernest Mandel Study Centre was established in his honour, in order to promote research in economic and social theory in his humanist and militant spirit. The Centre was launched on the first anniversary of his death with an international seminar on his contributions to economic and social thought, in which IIRE Fellows and other distinguished scholars discussed a range of topics such as economic long waves, non-market economies, the theory of bureaucracy, the history of political thought and civilization and barbarism. Ernest Mandel's writings have been collected, catalogued and indexed in the IIRE library to assist with further research.

We are pleased to note that more and more works of Ernest Mandel are available on the web. In English, for example, International Viewpoint offers access to a number of his writings. The Belgian site www.ernestmandel.org provides access to a number of Mandel's works in Dutch, French and English.

Two of Ernest Mandel's books are also available from the IIRE as Notebooks for Study and Research:

The Place of Marxism in History
October 1917: Coup d'Etat or Social Revolution?

Since 1993 four Economists' Seminars have been held at the IIRE. Beginning in 1997, the Economists' Seminars have taken place under the auspices of the Ernest Mandel Study Centre. The seminar generally brings together about 20 professional economists from various European countries, North America, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Themes discussed have included globalization, social clauses, and the transition to the market in Eastern Europe. Each year the seminars have resulted in a substantial body of published work in various forums. Thanks to the participation of Nicaraguan and Brazilian economists in our 1992 and 1993 Economists' Seminars, the discussions there on alternative models of economic development for small countries such as Nicaragua and El Salvador were drawn on in several different countries.

Economists debate long waves, 'financialization'

The Ernest Mandel Study Centre is also dedicated to the preservation, study and discussion of the classical Marxist tradition that Mandel steadfastly defended, for example by (helping) organize conferences on relevant themes.

October 1917: A challenging colloquium

The Legacy of Ernest Mandel

The papers presented at the 1996 Ernest Mandel Memorial Seminar are available in English as The Legacy of Ernest Mandel, a strikingly handsome and sturdy hardcover published by Verso Press. A review of the book in French by Francis Sitel concluded that it 'will constitute a reference point for any future understanding of Mandel's indispensable work'. Covering not only Mandel's pioneering explorations of the economics of late capitalism but also his work on bureaucracy, the transition to socialism and Auschwitz, it was edited by IIRE Fellow Gilbert Achcar and with contributions by Robin Blackburn, Michael Löwy, Michel Husson, Charles Post, Catherine Samary and Norman Geras among others. It also includes several of Mandel's articles never before available in English.

The IIRE is making this book available to our friends for special low prices.

To order:

• From Britain, please send a cheque in pounds sterling for £14.25 made out to 'P. Rousset', (and your address) to IIRE, Lombokstraat 40, 1094 AL Amsterdam.
• From the Netherlands, please do a giro transfer (indicating your address) to Netherlands Postbank account no. 1757144, CER/NSR, Lombokstraat 40, 1094 AL Amsterdam, in the amount of € 20.50.
• From other European countries, please do a giro transfer (indicating your address) to Netherlands Postbank account no. 1757144, CER/NSR, Lombokstraat 40, 1094 AL Amsterdam, in the amount of € 22.50. For international bank or giro transfers you will need the name of our bank (Netherlands Postbank), its International Bank Code (IBC) - PSTBNL21, its address (Bijlmeerdreef 190, 1102 BW Amsterdam, Netherlands), our account name (CER/NSR) and our address (Lombokstraat 40, 1094 AL Amsterdam, Netherlands).
  Our International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is NL13PSTB0001757144. For transfers inside the euro zone, indicating "shared costs" should ensure the lowest possible bank charges.
• From the US, please send a cheque for $26.00 made out to 'Solidarity' and earmarked 'CER/NSR', (and your address) to IIRE, Lombokstraat 40, 1094 AL Amsterdam.
• From other non-European countries, please do a giro transfer (indicating your address, with the same bank details as for European countries) in the amount of € 26.00.